Monday, August 18, 2014

Fanny Mail: A Question About Childhood Scars

Hi, Kiddies! Late last week I received a letter from Maureen Seaver of Lansing, Michigan. Maureen writes: "My daughter has scars all over her face and neck because I didn’t bother to cut her fingernails when she was a baby. At the age of four, she started asking questions about the marks, and I told her she was attacked by her Great Aunt Millie's orange cat. I never cared for that cat, or for Aunt Millie for that matter. So I was able to use my daughter's fear of cats to avoid the both of them for several years. But then as she got into her teens, my daughter started seeking cats out. As long as she didn't request to visit Aunt Millie's cat, I had no problem with her new interest. I was just happy she stopped asking me about her scars. But yesterday a policeman showed up and asked about several missing cats in the neighborhood. Do I need to tell my daughter the truth now, or should I just let things run their course?"

Well, Maureen, it is unlikely that any police inquiry will lead them to uncovering the truth about your daughter's scars. I think you have nothing to worry about. And if your daughter is cleaning the neighborhood of cats, so much the better. As far as I'm concerned, there is no crime in that.